The present invention relates to a carton and more particularly to a carton having transverse partitions that subdivide its interior.
Identical items, such as bottles or glasses or the like, are commonly shipped and marketed in a carton having an interior which is subdivided into a plurality of item-holding compartments. The partition panels that subdivide the interior of the carton separate the items to minimize breakage-causing contact and to prevent shifting of remaining items when one or more of the items is removed. Such a carton is particularly useful when the items being packaged are fragile.
Two main types of partitioned cartons are known. In one common type the interior partitions are completely separate from the exterior carton. Once the exterior carton is erected, the partitions are erected and dropped into place within the carton. An obvious drawback of this type of carton is the extra expense of separately forming the blanks for the cartons and the partitions, erecting both components and then assembling the two.
The second main type of partitioned carton is formed using a single blank which can be erected from a collapsed condition. An example is the traditional six pack beverage wrapper. Known cartons of this type frequently have a bottom wall which is not suitable for supporting heavy loads, particularly when one or more of the items inside the carton has been removed. Furthermore, such cartons are often hard to set up, and once set up, have a tendency to collapse.